Gonna Catch 'Em All
by Nikaya
Summary: Drabble requests I filled on Tumblr! Will add more as they come! Mostly canon-compliant or post-canon, usually angst, some fluff
1. Danny & Valerie

"I'm Danny Phantom."

Standing where Danny once was, Phantom was now in his place.

Valerie backed up. "I-wha-Phantom?!" she shouted. Then her eyes narrowed and lifted her ectoblaster. "You were possessing Danny!"

"No!" Danny shrieked. "Look!" He transformed back into Danny Fenton. He pointed to his eyes. "Blue," he said, then pinched his own skin, "tangible," then he stomped his foot, "and can't fly. Definitely not possessed."

Valerie hesitated, the gun shaking on his shoulder. "You… you were him the whole time?"

"It was an accident…" he said, putting his hands out in front of himself. "I went into my parents'-!" He cut himself off, choking down a sob as his eyes began to water. "The portal… I turned it on and I was inside. I died, Valerie…." _Just like they did_, he didn't say.

"So it's _your_ fault!" Valerie said, finally lowering the gun but clenching her empty fist. "You were the one that ruined my life! Lost my dad his job! You and that _stupid_ dog!"

"No! You don't understand!" Danny said, his legs shaking and tears coming down his face. "Please! Let me explain!"

"Get out," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, gravelly.

"Please…." he said, his voice breaking.

"I never want to see you again."

Danny stopped breathing. Then he inhaled. "I'm sorry."

"Go."


	2. Danny & Maddie

"Mom? Something wrong?"

Maddie snapped out of her daze when Danny questioned her and waved his hand in her face. She hadn't realized she'd been staring.

"Oh, what did you say, sweetie?" she said as she lowered her ectoblaster. Danny had just caught a stray ghost in the thermos and they were packing it in after a day of hunting.

"I asked if anything was wrong," he said. He floated down to the ground and detransformed, watching her.

Maddie leaned forward and kissed her son on the forehead. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just… observing, I guess."

Danny frowned. "The transformation thing?"

Maddie quirked her mouth awkwardly. "Maybe?"

Danny sighed, crossing his arms and rubbing them with his hands.

Maddie watched her son shift uncomfortably under her gaze. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. It's just… I'm not used to it yet. That's all."

Danny nodded slowly. "I get it. It's alright." he said quietly.

"Transform again," she said suddenly.

Danny's eyes widened. "What's wrong? Is there another ghost?" he said, the rings already coursing over his form as he flew up.

"No," she said, and reached for his hand. "Come here."

Danny turned back to look at her and floated back down in front of her. Maddie reached out and ruffled his white hair in her fingers. It was cooler to the touch than his black but still the same texture and mess it usually was. She let her touch slid down his head to cup his cheek. She smiled at him and he allowed himself a small smile back.

"I love you," she said, "both halves of you. I just need some time to adjust. Is that okay? Can you give me some time?"

Danny nodded against her hand and his smile grew wider. "I can."


	3. Star & Paulina

Tired of high school boy nonsense, Star and Paulina find that they much prefer each other's company.

* * *

When Paulina heard her phone ring at ten o'clock that night, she knew immediately who it would be. What she didn't know was how horribly wrong her best friend's date had gone.

She told Star to come over for ice cream and a movie, making popcorn in her pj's for the two of them. When the doorbell rang and Paulina saw Star, she couldn't help but feel her own gut twist at her friend's pain.

She had mascara running down her cheeks, a pillow in one arm and a teddy bear in the other.

"Come on, chica. We need to get that makeup off first." she decided.

Star gave her a weak smile but threw herself into Paulina's arms. She sobbed briefly on the other girl's shoulder, knowing she was teasing to get her mind off of how she felt.

The two went inside, and Paulina took Star's things, setting them on her king-sized canopy bed before pulling Star gently toward her bathroom. She set her in front of the vanity, sitting in the overstuffed, velvet chair.

Paulina stood behind her, huffed, and set to work. She said nothing, knowing Star would either start to bawl her eyes out again or rant about it unintelligibly, and that wasn't a help to anyone. She started to pull back her best friend's long, blonde hair, brushing it as she went.

"He isn't worth it, you know," Paulina said. She continued to focus on Star's hair.

Star looked up from her hands in her lap to look at Paulina in the mirror.

Paulina noticed the movement but didn't raise her head as her hands began to weave a braid. "No guy is worth you crying over. I mean, honestly Star. Do you really think any guy would kill to get a piece of you?"

Star chuckled but it was half-hearted. "Yeah, like I have pretty great hair, I guess."

"You guess? Your hair, your body, your face…. You're a knockout!" she said as she finished the braid. She put her hands on the other's shoulders. Star turned to face Paulina. Paulina waved a hand over Star's body. "Any guy would actually die to get any of this."

Star put a hand to her mouth as she giggled. "Stop it, seriously! After what happened tonight-!"

"Like I said, he isn't worth your time."

Star poured about being cut off and folded her arms, but Paulina merely pretended not to notice; although, she was glad Star was starting to act a little more like herself. Paulina reached behind Star for some makeup wipes and kneeled in front of her as she started to gently rub her face clean.

Paulina was careful to get under her friend's eyes specifically but also made sure to get the remaining mascara off of her lashes so as not to irritate her eyes in her sleep. The crying wouldn't do them any favors in the morning anyway.

She continued to work, playfully poking Star's cheeks a little too hard at times just to get another sing-song giggle out of her. When Paulina reached Star's lips to clear them of lipstick, she paused. She carefully rubbed at the top, her mouth moving a little with the push from the wipe. Paulina's thumb ran over Star's bottom lip through the wipe, and its softness made her a little uneasy.

"Your lips are a little puffy," Paulina said when she realized Star was watching her intently. "Did he kiss you?"

"Eww, gross!" she said. "I mean, he's hot but like, not kissing kind of hot. His lips are like, super flaky and dry."

Paulina scoffed. "Yeah, not like mine!" She put a hand proudly over her chest to punctuate her point.

Then Star leaned forward over Paulina and pressed her lips to hers.

Paulina made a yelp of surprise when they connected, but Star seemed to think nothing of it as she felt her way around her best friend's lips. Paulina felt the soft tenderness she was sure existed in Star's kiss from cleaning those lips merely moments before.

And as quickly as it started, it was over.

Star pulled back and _dared_ to lick her bottom lip. She smacked her lips together. "Yours are definitely better than everyone else's I've kissed."

Dumbfounded - and still a little lightheaded - Paulina nodded. "I'll take what I can get apparently."


	4. Danny Saves an Astronaut

If Danny were being honest with himself, this wasn't how he imagined reaching his career goal. None of the flight simulators, flying throughout the country, or anything else he had learned about space could have prepared him to become the world's only hope to save a stranded astronaut on a mission to Mars.

The plan was relatively straightforward. Once the ship achieved liftoff, Danny would turn the spacecraft intangible to pass through the atmosphere for the rescue attempt. Once in space, Danny could push the craft closer to Mars with his superhuman strength… _in theory_.

Never had Danny felt this much pressure before. With all of the world's eyes on him, he alone was the only hope for the woman, and she was quickly running out of oxygen. Danny hadn't had time to train; his deal with the GIW after the Disasteroid was to help the world's governments in times of crisis - including at the drop of a hat.

Danny had suited up for the challenge and was ready to get on the ship when Sam grabbed his wrist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips. When they parted, she said, "You better come back to me."

He let out his iconic chuckle. "This moment seems familiar somehow…."

Sam playfully slapped his arm with a smirk. "Go get her."

On the spacecraft, Danny's body went rigged as the countdown began. He closed his eyes, attempting to slow his breathing; he had a job to do.

And liftoff was achieved.

The force of the ship reaching the atmosphere clued Danny into going intangible. The entire spacecraft shifted with ease; at this point, Danny was a seasoned veteran for changing the tangibility of other objects. Holding it for so long - however - was another story. He clenched his teeth as a groan escaped him and sweat dripped down below his temples.

He heaved for air once he made it. "Uh… Phantom to… NASA? I've passed through the atmosphere successfully."

Over the comms unit, he could hear cheers erupting. "Nice work, Phantom. You know where you're going from here?" came a gruff voice on the other end.

"Aye, aye, Captain." he replied with a small salute.

"Uh… I ain't a captain, but I'll take that as a yes."

Danny was able to read the maps and radar on the screens around him for the most part. The crew had told him just where to go with as much precision as they could expect him to comprehend without a PhD in astrophysics.

"Here goes everything, I guess." Danny phased through his seatbelt and drifted through the windshield, out into the expanse of space. He looked around, only briefly in awe since he had been this far once before now. He turned to face the craft and flew to the back. He rubbed his hands together, pressed them up against the hull and _pushed_.

Unexpectedly, he moved the craft with relative ease. He had only done what he was about to attempt by accident a handful of times - and out his ass, no less - but he concentrated all of his energy from his core down to his feet. He breathed in… and released.

To his bewilderment, his ecto-blast shot out from both of his feet, jettisoning both the spacecraft and Danny forward with enough speed to aim toward their destination.

"Woohoo!" Danny whooped.

"Everything going accordingly, Phantom?" came the same voice over the comms.

Embarrassed, Danny chuckled. "Heh, you could say that."

At the speeds Danny could reach without the limitation of human technology, Danny could see Mars in the distance in just a few hours. "I think I'm close." he said.

"That's impossible," came back the familiar gruff tone of the man on the other end. "It would have taken the craft at least a day or two."

"We don't have that kind of time," Danny stated. "I tried some abilities I hadn't really tested before, but it worked. I'm almost there."

"Good work then, Phantom. We haven't had contact with our astronaut in two days now. Be prepared to find anything."

Danny nodded and pressed his lips into a thin line.

As Danny approached the landing site, he scanned the area best he could. The air around Mars was dry; Danny could feel his throat constrict and his lips tightened. He pressed forward a bit longer before he phased back through the craft and into the passenger seat. "Phantom to NASA, I've about to make a landing. Gonna need some guidance though."

"Alright, kid. Press those buttons glowing on your right and flip the switch up on your left. Pull back on the throttle, just like those sims."

"Roger that," he said, his voice strained. He did as instructed and gripped the control. He breathed in.

He pulled back on the throttle as the spacecraft passed through the atmosphere. Danny could feel the shuttle start to shake from the force and grit his teeth.

"Easy, Phantom. Bring it down easy."

"I'm trying," he said through teeth. He pulled back a little more on the control as the ship approached the ground… _rapidly_.

_Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god._

Danny closed his eyes as he rammed the throttle back as hard as he could. He could feel the rocky touchdown as he made a landing, but the craft was still moving too fast to stop.

Danny opened his eyes and looked around the controls. An alarm started to sound, making Danny flick his eyes down to the radar. He was in a mountain range… and was approaching a crevice in the ground.

"Phantom! Hit the controls!" came the voice in his ears again, blaringly loud.

Danny had other plans.

He phased through the front of the craft and braced his hands against the front of the ship. "I can do this… I can do this…." he whispered.

"_Phantom!"_

Danny went tangible again and threw his stance into the dusty red dirt of the planet he now faced, making his eyes water. The dryness of the planet was more than Danny had expected and he could feel his arms shake as he tried to slow the ship down. He peered back over his shoulder. If the craft went down, neither him nor the survivor were making it home. He swallowed back against the dryness and _dug in_.

Danny groaned and strained under the pressure. As the craft slowed but continued to approach, he cried out as the muscles in his arms _burned_ and his breathing quickened. The ship creaked as it slid through the rocks and red dust tumbled around Danny. He clenched his eyes shut tight.

Finally, the burning stopped, his muscles relaxed, and he looked up. He let out his breath and slowly looked over his shoulder.

_Well, at least I'm not teetering over the edge_.

But he was damn near close, having about two feet between himself and the edge.

Danny slumped to the ground and reached a hand up to swipe at his forehead but clumsily slapped the glass in front of his face.

"Probably takes some getting used to," said the voice in his ears again, having heard the clang of the suit against the glass. "Nice work, kid. Quick thinking."

"Thanks, sir," he coughed back. He pressed his hands down in front of him and turned them over to examine the chalky sand. A puff of rusty smoke billowed as Danny let it slip through his gloved hands. "Any idea how close I am to her?"

"Give me a few minutes to pinpoint your exact coordinates on the planet."

Danny nodded - mostly to himself - and shakily made his way back into the ship. Inside, he looked around the storage cabinets, picking up supplies to stow in his backpack: several food and water packets, a fire blanket, a spare oxygen tank, an ecto-blaster (at the insistence of his parents), and a large, black, plastic bag with a zipper. Danny stuffed the last item into the bag with a turn of his stomach and tossed it over his shoulder.

"Given the landing, the urgency of the mission, inexperience, and all that, you're pretty damn close, kid. About four miles due southeast."

Danny faltered. "Do I have a compass that works on Mars, handy?"

"Should be strapped to the backpack."

He looked down at the strap to his left. There was a small dangling piece of metal. "Got it." He phased through the ship to look around him. He checked the compass. "You recommend flying or walking?"

"That depends. You feel confident floating around when you now weigh about… 40 pounds?"

Danny quirked his eyebrow. "Worth a shot, I guess." He did a little hop up and floated about 20 feet off the ground. "I'll definitely be faster this way." He threw his arms to one side, took a breath… and _flew_.

Danny had never been able to reach speeds like this before. He had loved the rush of chasing down ghosts on Earth or trying to teach Dani to meet him, but this was something else. Had he not been wearing the helmet, his eyes would have been tearing. His heart threatened to pound out of his chest; he'd only dreamt of truly being this free.

"Don't overshoot it," the voice warned him. "You should be approaching pretty quickly."

Danny scanned the area as he slowed himself down and caught his breath. He couldn't immediately see wreckage of the first ship or the tell-tale white space suit.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm not seeing much of anything. Could the coordinates be wrong?"

"Doesn't look like it. Check the perimeter while I take a look."

Danny pursed his lips and flew up to get a better view. He put a hand over his forehead and squinted against the dry haze over the land.

His eyes widened. "I see something!" He sped down, aiming for a crevice in the ground. At a quick glance, it didn't look big enough for a spacecraft to fit inside, but upon further inspection, Danny could see that the gap widened a bit at the middle. What caught his eye, however, was the glint of light that bounced off of something.

Danny approached cautiously, spotting the culprit; the ship was wedged in the hole, tilted to one side. He went intangible and phased inside the ship.

Empty.

He looked around, flicked switches, and scoured for any information that could lead him to what happened to the pilot. He came up empty handed. "I found the ship, but she's not here."

"Not here? Are you sure?"

Danny pinched his lips into a thin line. His eyes narrowed as he approached the captain's chair. The window was tilted forward into the crevice… and _broken_.

"Oh no…."

"Phantom? What's wrong?"

"I… I - I think she fell."

"Fell? Where?"

Danny swallowed. "The ship is in some kind of rift the ground. The windshield is broken."

Danny could hear a sigh on the other end. "We'll inform the family. You can return to your craft, kid."

Danny's eyes widened. "What? She could be down there!"

"A fall like that would likely kill her. If not, it would at least break her gear somehow and she couldn't breathe. Let her go."

He squinted down into the crevice. "I'm going down there."

"Phantom, do _not_ go down there. You are too valuable to our planet. One person is not -!"

"I'm too valuable?" Danny scoffed. "Tell that to the Guys in White _before_ they found out." Danny phased through the window and took a nose-dive.

"Phantom!"

Not a moment after the shout, the comms turned to static. Danny clicked a button on his wrist to turn it off as he continued his descent.

Danny guessed the drop was about forty to fifty feet, making his mouth go dry. The hole was dark that far down, so Danny pressed his eyes shut and open again to reveal his night vision. It only took a few glances before he heard whimpering. He spun around.

Danny spotted the astronaut in a heap just a few feet away. She was still wearing her suit, but there were scratches covering it. Danny took notice of her labored breaths and wide eyes, so he approached slowly.

"Hey," he said quietly. He knelt down in front of her. "I'm Danny. What's your name?"

She sucked in a breath as she looked him up and down. "You… you're the Ghost Kid. You saved the planet."

Danny chuckled and thoughtlessly scratched at the back of his neck. "You got me there." He looked her over a little more carefully. It was his turn to suck in a breath when he saw the angles her legs were bent.

She looked down. "It's bad, I know," she said. "I've been in a lot of pain, but that doesn't matter now." Her voice wavered on the last word. "I might actually live now." Tears started running down her face.

Danny gave her a small smile. "That I can promise you."

* * *

"We're about to re-enter the atmosphere, Cap!" Danny said, settling back into the seat. He glanced over at Alice. "You're about to become a hero. First human on Mars _and_ lived."

She chuckled. "You've got a pretty good outlook on the world, don't you?" She smiled. "Stay that way."

Danny received precise direction on how to properly land the craft back on the launch pad with Alice guiding him. As the craft was secured and sanitized of any space material, he gently helped her undo her suit and took off his own. Danny carried her in his arms as he walked out of the craft to greet the emergency team. As he helped put her onto the stretcher, she clutched his wrist. She locked onto his eyes. "Thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me."

Danny smiled and held her hand. "I might save the world once-in-awhile, but that'll never change either."

She smiled and was wheeled away.

The booming of fireworks forced Danny's gaze out over the field to the fence where the press and everyone else was waiting for him. But he focused his eyes on the girl in black at the front of the crowd with her poster that read, "YOU'RE DEAD IF YOU AREN'T ALREADY!"

Danny smirked and looked at his feet. He closed his eyes and phased back to human. He breathed in slowly and looked up at the clear sky.

"I've never felt more alive."


	5. Sam's Powers

DP AU where Sam experienced residual plant powers and her rationale for using Danny's power for her own gain/wanting him to be Danny Phantom despite seeing him content and healthy without them earlier in the show came back to bite her in the ass; optional: some logical throwback to humans being unable to host ghost powers for long from Doctor's Disorders if that's what you're into

"How long have you known?"

Sam jumped back from the pot she was currently standing over. The flower continued to grow taller as purple petals bloomed. She turned to see Danny standing at the open door the green house in her backyard.

Sam sighed. "I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't remember anything, I swear." she said firmly.

Danny's lips formed a thin line as he walked over to the table and narrowed his eyes at the plant. At a first glance, the flower appeared normal… organic. He reached out and felt the velvety petals between his fingertips.

"No ghost sense," he told Sam. He continued staring at the plant as he spoke. "I guess that means these powers _aren't _derived from being possessed. Which means you should be healthy, at least."

"Danny…."

He closed his eyes and took a breath. "Why didn't you tell me? You don't trust me?"

Sam gripped his closest arm with both hands. "Of course I do! I should have told you. But I was scared."

"I told you everything about my powers from day one," he said quietly. "Did you think I'd suck you into the thermos or something without trying to reason with you first?"

Sam bit her bottom lip.

"That's what I thought," he said.

"Let me explain!" she said. She squeezed his arm, but it was the way her voice wavered as she spoke that made Danny finally look at her. "I wanted to learn to control them first. I wanted to prove to you that I could and then maybe… you'd let me keep them."

Danny's eyes widened as he tried to pull back. "Sam-"

"Please hear me out."

He stopped, realizing she was holding onto his hand and gently squeezing again. Hesitantly, he nodded.

"The world is in constant danger. Think about what we could do to save it now! With your ice powers and my… plant abilities, we could help to save the environment."

Danny quirked an eyebrow at her. "You've really thought this through then, haven't you?"

She nodded slowly. "I'll even go see Frostbite with you if it makes you feel better. I haven't been floating randomly or falling through the floor either! Scout's honor," she said, holding her hand up.

Danny chuckled. "You make a pretty convincing argument."

Sam let out a breath. "You're not mad at me?"

"Do I think it was stupid not to tell me? Yeah." Sam winced at that. "But am I mad? No. I think you had a right to be a little scared. Not that I'd put you in the thermos, but I _may_ have jumped the gun and spliced the powers out of you or something."

Then it was Sam's turn to laugh. "So we can try this?"

Danny smiled and took her other hand in his own. "I'll take you to Frostbite just to make sure you're safe. Then… we can discuss it."

Sam beamed before launching herself into Danny arms. He let out a light "oof!" before Sam recoiled, her face particularly pink.

Danny chuckled and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "I think this means you need a hero name."

"Plant Girl sucks." she said.

"Poison Ivy?" he asked.


	6. Locked Room

"Of all the people to be stuck here with," Vlad muttered as he crossed his arms and sank to the floor. He led out an exasperated sigh. He eyed the cuff on his ankle, radiating with ectoplasmic energy. If it hadn't been for that stupid contraption Jack had put on him earlier, he could transform and get them both… or at least _himself_ out of here. But of course, it was locked. And neither of them had the key.

"Don't worry V-man!" said the ever-optimistic Jack, swinging his arm up. "I'm sure Maddie and the kids will get us out of here in no time!"

Vlad scoffed. "I'd sooner believe them than _you_."

Jack swallowed, "Aww come on, Vladdy. I'd be able to get us out if the door wasn't _metal_."

Vlad leveled a glare with him. "You know what? That may be true, but I actually meant that you wouldn't have the brains either way."

Jack blinked down at him. "That uh… oh. I… I get it." His shoulders slumped a little.

"In fact, while we're here," Vlad said, smirking and standing up. "I might as well finally tell you how I really feel. No one can hear us or would believe you anyway."

Jack's mouth twisted a bit. "I suppose that makes sense."

"You know why I hate you the most, Jack?" he rolled on immediately. "It's not that you're stronger than me or that you're smarter than me or any of that because honestly, you have no idea, but I am." He took a step closer to him as Jack's eyes widened. "It's because you can do the one thing I never could: you make Maddie… _happy_."

"I… Maddie?" he said slowly, his eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"Yes, you buffoon! The one thing I always wanted but could never have because of _your_ stupid fucking portal that went wrong in college! If I hadn't gotten infected because of your stupid mistake, I would have had her! But no! You swept in and claimed her!" He lifted a hand and poked Jack in the chest.

"But Vladdy," he said, quietly, "I thought you didn't care about the accident…. And Maddie… you loved her?"

"Of course I did! If it weren't for you, I would have married her!" he said, shoving Jack now, but the larger man didn't budge.

"All this time… I had no idea…. I came to the hospital when you were in a coma."

"I wish you hadn't!" he shouted before sauntering away, keeping his eyes on the floor as he rambled on. "Every day of the last twenty years that I could have been with her, I instead spent loathing _you_. And you know what else you did to me that day? You took away my ability to make her happy!"

"I… I don't understand." he said, aghast. "I thought it was just the ecto-acne…."

Suddenly, Vlad turned back to Jack, his expression turning darker… and yet a little sadder. "Let me ask you a question that even _you_ can probably answer. What's the one thing in this world that Maddie loves more than anything?"

Jack blinked. "Jazz and Danny, of course!"

Vlad stared at Jack.

Jack stared back.

Finally, Jack breathed out a small, "_Oh._"

"That's all you have to say? _Twenty… years…_ and you say… 'Oh.'?"

"Vlad, I… what am I supposed to say?" Jack said, his hands spread out in front of him. Grief poured into his expression. "I had no idea…. I'm… I'm _so _sorry…."

"Sorry isn't good enough, _Jack_! It's too late for that!" he snapped at him.

"Are you… are you saying that you think Maddie would have loved you if-?"

"Of course, you _fool_! Why else would she have chosen _you_? I was hospitalized for months! And if that wasn't bad enough, I couldn't have given her children! Of course I ran in shame!"

Jack watched Vlad for a moment through the rant before… he started to laugh.

"What is _wrong_ with you? You have no _idea_ what my life has been like! You have no _idea_ how badly I'd wanted to kill you, had it not been for upsetting Maddie!"

"I… I'm sorry!" he said, wiping tears from his eyes as he clutched his stomach. He gave a last chuckle as he straightened himself. "You really thought _that_ was why she didn't love you?"

Vlad stared at him, then slowly narrowed his eyes. "What else could it have been?"

Jack smirked as the air in the room grew thicker. "Vlad… she loved _me_. Sickness or not… kids or not… she wouldn't have loved you instead."

Vlad sucked in a breath like he'd been punched. "_What_?"

"You heard me," he said plainly. "You could have adopted… you could have done… whatever that other thing is where they put in-!"

"Artificial insemination?" Vlad deadpanned.

"Yeah, that!" Jack continued. "But the point is… you're just full of hate and jealousy. She would never have wanted a man like you."

Of all of the ways the conversation could have gone, Vlad never could have prepared for… being stunned to silence.

But Jack was _right_. Maddie had plenty of options besides himself _or_ Jack. She loved Jack's humor… his affection… his warmth.

Vlad on the other hand… had _none_ of those qualities.

But he wasn't finished. His expression turned darker as he lowered his voice. "I could have given her _Daniel_."

Then it was Jack's turn to be stunned to silence. "What?"

"Black hair, blue eyes, devilish good looks," he added with his own smirk. "Your son has qualities you can never _imagine_. And I could have trained him, harnessed his abilities… and yet he runs in fear from you… _and Maddie_."

"What are you talking about?" Jack said, squinting. "Danny loves us, and we love him."

"Do you? Then he would have already told you what I'm talking about. What he has more in common with me than _you_."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Before he could retort though, a high-energy laser started to cut through the handle on the door.

The two were found by the rest of the Fentons staring each other down.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Danny asked over his mom's shoulder as they hugged him.

Jack turned to Danny after peeling his gaze away from Vlad, his expression softening again at the sight of his youngest son. "Yeah… yeah, of course! You know I love you, right Danny?" He smiled warmly.

Danny smiled back. "Love you too, Dad."


End file.
